The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-04-07
GEORGE D. PRENTICE.
THE GENTLE POET EDITOR WHO
ENCOURAGED MEN OF GENIUS.

Stormy Journalistic Career the Result
of His Caust;c Pen--A Few Pungent
Parasrapls--An Almost Fatal Quarrel
The Civil War.
| After leaving COLLEGE Prentice studied law,
! bat, not III :e. ing with immediate success he
| d;'ifteI into journalism. Ho Was the first ed
| itor of the once celebrated New England Re-
| view, and it was Oh that periodical that he
| won his spurs
Soon after this Nj Prentice was sent to
| Kentucky by number Of prominent Wings
20 gather material for Il life of Henry Clay
: then about to be nominated for the pres-
/ dcacy. While in Louisville on this mission
be was offered the clitorship Of new daily
paD.l', then bginS established il opposition to
the jackson Democracy. He accepted the
position and was for the remainder of Lis
life closely identified with tho loliti"al and
literary life Of tho south. lie resigned the
editOrship Of The R"vicw, recommending as
his successor John G. Whittier, then a,l un-
known poet, who had sent sonic Of his first
poems to The Review.
Upon assuming the editorial control of The
JOurna', Prentice at once Ilaccl it among the
most Influential papers Of the day, and made
the political and literary departments alike
shine with the light Of bis talented pen. 1t
became the acknowledged organ of the Wing
party in the south and west, and to the last
the sup ortcr of Henry Clay for president.
Prentice and "uarry of the West" became
fast frien1s, and Clay was the insDircr of
some of the most brilliant editorials which
appeared in The Journal. But it is not in
tended here to review The political course Of
The Journal under the cGitOT>hip of Prentice,
though the life Of the Ilan and the paper are
so closely identified that it is almost impossi
bic to separate them. In its editorials it was
sharp and pointed, sometimes being almost
cruel il its threats, but more Often they were
swectenod with good huEor.
Here are a few:
"Have | chanGed?" eycaims Governor P.
We don't know; that depends on whether
you were ever ali honest man
The editor of the - speaks of his diving
curled up in bed these cold mornings" This
verifies what said of him some time ago:
"He lies like q dog"
The Globe says: Mr. Clay is sharp poll
tician." No doubt of il; but the editor of
Th' Globe Is q sharper.
Mcssrs. Bell G TOpp, Of The Gazette, say
that "Prcnticcs are matle to serve master!."
Well, Bells were made to be hung and Tops
to be whipped.
Mr.. Prentice made many enemies by the
course Of his paper, and had not few per
sonal difficulties, nearly all Of which he came
out of with grace and honor to himself. This
was not an easy matter when it is known
that he was bitter opponent of tho ducllo,
which was at that time popular i'll the
south. His position is defined in Il letter to
one of his challcngers: II am no believer in
the lueIing code. L would not call q man to
the field unless he had donc me such deadly
wrong that desired to kill him, and would
not obey hi; call to the field unless had done
hirI mortal an il Jury rs to Cnt;tlo him, i'll
nv opinion, to demand an opportunity Of
taking my life"
One of his quarrels came near being fatal to
the poet, however An editor named Trottcr
became inccnsel at some of The Journals
personal allusions fired at Prentice on the
street and wounded him in the breast
Though severely wounded, the poet grapplcd
with his would be murderer end, after a
fierce struggle, succeeded in throwing him to
the ground. y knife was given him by one
of his friends and the crowd which had
gathered, seeing the blood which was flowing
from the wound in Prcntices breast, shouted:
Kill him! Kill him!' But the gentle poet
released the subdued Trottcr with the chiv-
arous remark: II cannot kill disarmcd and
helpless man"
A volume of the cpigrammGtical para graphs
which gave Prentice SO much trouble we're
collected during his lifetime under the title of
"Prenticcana," and though many of them
have lost their point by the lapse of tine, one
reading them can hardly wonder that the %
thor got into frequent trouble with tho hot
blooded men at whom they were aimed.
Though The Journal was to q great extent
political paper its literary department was
to many its greatest charm. Tho gifted edi-
tor gave his especial attention to it, and in
LOT oE l,,
find time to contribute to it himself and to
read and criticise personally the numerous
pOctical cffusions which were submitted to
him. Many well known American afthor
his somewhere among lis papers letter
from the kindly poet editor encouraging him
with advice. He praised without stint if it
was deserved but he was quick to see when
the poetic gift lacking, and he would
then be the first to tell the aspirant of his
lack. His lame is associated with the first
sttcmpts of many OF the most successful and
gifted writers of tic day. Among the con-
trihutors to The Journal, when they were yet
unknown i'll the world of letters, were John
G.. Whittier John Howard Payne. James
Freeman Clark, Mrs. Sgourney, Alice and
Pho,he Cary, William Dean UowellS, William
Wallace Harvey and Torceythe Wilson. The
latter was one of the most remarkable OF
The Journals contributors, and was the
favoritc protege OF Prentice. He rcsenlbled
Poe in the eccentricity and weird imagery of
his composition. and he had that subtle and
delicate genius which the roct editor liked SO
much to encourage and had in so great n
degree himself
Several years before the civil war Mr..
Prentice made some reputation rs lecturer,
both in northern and southern cities. H.
took a gloomy outlook, aud predicted that
unless some statesman arose equal to the oc-
casion there would be resort left but war
| if Lincoln was elected. lie laInentcd the
death of Henry Clay at tkis crisis, and in re-
ferring to it said: Ulysses has gone upon
his wanlerings aud there is none left in all
ithaca to bend his bow"
| He supported Bell and Everett, and when
they were defeated he had no alternative but
to support the successful candidate. Great
influence was brought to bear on him by the
southern leaders to get him to support seces-
sion. but he remained steadfast He thought
it his duty, and to his great SOUL that was
enough 1t was the greatest trouble of his
life, and no doubt it fastened his death.-De-
troit Free Press.